2009/05/15: CBC: Asia-Pacific nations to protect sprawling coral reef networkSix Asia-Pacific countries agreed Friday on a wide-ranging plan to protect one of the world’s largest networks of coral reefs, promising to reduce pollution, eliminate overfishing and improve the livelihoods of impoverished coastal communities. The agreement at the World Ocean Conference creates a voluntary management plan for an area defined as the Coral Triangle, which spans Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor. It accounts for a third of the world’s coral reefs and 35 per cent of coral reef fish species.

2009/05/13: Eureka: Cold water ocean circulation doesn’t work as expectedThe familiar model of Atlantic ocean currents that shows a discrete “conveyor belt” of deep, cold water flowing southward from the Labrador Sea is probably all wet. New research led by Duke University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution relied on an armada of sophisticated floats to show that much of this water, originating in the sea between Newfoundland and Greenland, is diverted generally eastward by the time it flows as far south as Massachusetts. From there it disburses to the depths in complex ways that are difficult to follow. A 50-year-old model of ocean currents had shown this southbound subsurface flow of cold water forming a continuous loop with the familiar northbound flow of warm water on the surface, called the Gulf Stream. “Everybody always thought this deep flow operated like a conveyor belt, but what we are saying is that concept doesn’t hold anymore,” said Duke oceanographer Susan Lozier.

The Climate Project held a conference in Nashville this week:

2009/05/14: UPI: Summit eyeing emission reductionsThe North American Summit taking place in Nashville Thursday is oriented toward reducing emissions that can cause climate change, experts say. The Climate Project Executive Director Jenny Clad, whose organization is behind the three-day event, said former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is among those scheduled to take part in the summit, The (Nashville) Tennessean said.

2009/05/14: PhysOrg: A new insight into the decline of the Arctic sea ice coverThe mechanical behavior of the Arctic sea ice cover appears to favor its rapid decline. Scientists from INSU-CNRS, Université J. Fourier and Université de Savoie, France, have analyzed the trajectories of drifting buoys anchored in the ice and found that the mean drift rate and deformation rate of Arctic sea ice has strongly increased over the last three decades. These effects, related to the mechanical properties of the cover, contribute to the faster- than-expected decline of Arctic sea ice. This work is published in the 14 may 2009 issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans.

2009/05/13: BBC: Arctic diary: Explorers’ ice questPolar explorers Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels and Martin Hartley are nearing the end of an epic trek across the Arctic. They have been taking measurements of sea-ice thickness – primarily from drilling following the failure of a mobile radar unit – in a bid to help scientists better understand the changes taking place at the highest latitudes. As their diary entries and videos reveal, the team has not only had to suffer the harsh Arctic elements, but has also been besieged by technical failures and delays.

2009/05/14: CanWest: Canada ready to defend Arctic sovereignty: CannonForeign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday that the Conservative government will strive to “work peacefully” with other polar nations but “will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty.” The statement came a day after the release of a new Russian government report that predicts possible military conflict over Arctic oil.

2009/05/14: BBC: Ice sheet melt threat reassessedThe collapse of a major polar ice sheet will not raise global sea levels as much as previous projections suggest, a team of scientists has calculated. Writing in Science, the researchers said that the demise of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would result in a sea level rise of 3.3m (10 ft). Previous estimates had forecast a rise in the region of five to six metres.

2009/05/14: NYT: Study Halves Prediction of Rising SeasA new analysis halves longstanding projections of how much sea levels could rise if Antarctica’s massive western ice sheets fully disintegrated as a result of global warming. The flow of ice into the sea would probably raise sea levels about 10 feet rather than 20 feet, according to the analysis, published in the May 15 issue of the journal Science.

2009/05/15: BBC: Food prices vary but crisis remainsBy some measures food prices have come down, but there is still a problem for many people, especially those on low incomes. A BBC World Service index of retail food prices has actually gone up in the ten months since it was launched. It is based on a check of some basic foods in eight cities, including Washington, Nairobi and Buenos Aires. It is not comprehensive but useful nonetheless. The average for all the cities covered is up by eight per cent from July last year. But there are some striking variations. In Nairobi, there was a rise of getting on for fifty per cent. In Brussels and Washington, where general levels of inflation are lower, the food prices we checked recorded double digit falls.

2009/05/11: Australian: Drought and floods cut rice harvest back to 5pcThe rice harvest has been ravaged by both drought and flooding, with the NSW Riverina expected to deliver just 5 per cent of its normal output. About 65,000 tonnes are expected to be harvested this year in the nation’s rice growing heartland – down from 1.2 million tonnes in a typical year – while trial crops in northeast NSW have been destroyed by heavy rainfall.

2009/05/14: BBC: Climate ‘biggest health threat’Climate change is “the biggest global health threat of the 21st Century”, according to a leading medical journal. The Lancet, together with University College London researchers, has published a report outlining how public health services will need to adapt. It also highlights the consequences of climate-related mass migrations.

Meanwhile in tornado alley:

2009/05/14: CNN: Scientists chasing killer tornadoes across MidwestVORTEX2 is the largest field experiment in history devoted to studying tornadoes – Under way through June 13, the project brings together almost 100 scientists – V2 teams are criss-crossing the Midwestern plains in search of violent storms – Researchers are studying how tornadoes form to help forecasters warn people

2009/05/11: BBC: Australia probes Victoria firesA public inquiry is due to open in Australia to look into the bush fires in Victoria state in February – the worst in the country’s history. The Royal Commission will consider the official response, and whether warning systems in place were adequate. The panel will also look at a controversial plan to change the law to force people to leave their homes when bush fires approach. More than 170 people were killed and 2,000 homes destroyed by the blazes.

2009/05/15: WpgSun: Plan to remove Breezy Point houses launchedThis will be the last summer cottagers will ever be able to enjoy Breezy Point North. The province announced an “incentive plan” yesterday to permanently remove people from all 42 of the cottages located on leased Crown land in the Breezy Point area north of Selkirk. And while the buyouts may technically be voluntary, the leaving part is mandatory.

2009/05/14: CBC: Flood-prone properties in north Breezy Point to be decommissionedThe Manitoba government is getting rid of flood-prone properties located in the north portion of Breezy Point, advising homeowners their leases of the Crown land will be terminated. There are 42 homes in the area that are affected. “The government is very sympathetic to the plight of flood-prone lot holders and has carefully considered how to deal with the ongoing flooding issues at Breezy Point,” Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said Friday afternoon. “Flood prevention and protection measures in this area are not viable, and flooding will continue to pose an ongoing risk to the lives of both cottagers and rescuers for as long as settlement remains in this area.” Cottagers will be given the option to voluntarily terminate their lease or permit and the province would compensate the lot holder based on an appraised pre-flood market value, Struthers said. Cottage owners will have until the fall to work out an agreed value with the province. If they don’t voluntarily terminate the lease and work out an agreement, the province will simply pull the lease and not allow them to return.

2009/05/11: Australian: Drought and floods cut rice harvest back to 5pcThe rice harvest has been ravaged by both drought and flooding, with the NSW Riverina expected to deliver just 5 per cent of its normal output. About 65,000 tonnes are expected to be harvested this year in the nation’s rice growing heartland – down from 1.2 million tonnes in a typical year – while trial crops in northeast NSW have been destroyed by heavy rainfall.

2009/05/11: PhysOrg: Major funding to help cut CO2 emissionsThe University of Nottingham is to share in £6.9m of research funding to investigate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies which could drastically cut CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel power stations. The funding from E.ON and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is to support four university-led projects

2009/05/13: Reuters: EU warms to Mexican path to global climate dealGlobal talks on combating climate change this year might progress best by focusing on Mexico’s proposal for a world climate change fund, one of the European Union’s top negotiators said. The talks in Copenhagen to find a successor to the U.N.’s Kyoto protocol from 2012 are seen as the world’s last chance to avert catastrophic climate change and the drought, famine and huge migrations of people it is expected to cause. Jos Delbeke, number two in the European Commission’s environment directorate, told Reuters the Mexican approach might offer the flexibility needed to unlock a deal.

2009/05/13: Yahoo: China calls for deeper CO2 cuts by rich nationsChina urged rich nations on Wednesday to sign up to tougher 2020 targets to cut carbon emissions, as U.N.-led negotiations intensify on a broader climate pact meant to rein in the pace of global warming. Skip related content An official with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said rich nations must commit to cutting emissions by 25-40 percent by 2020 as well as ramp up funding for developing countries.

2009/05/13: Yahoo: US efforts on climate insufficient: expertsUS plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fall short of what is needed, climate change experts said after talks with the European Commission in Brussels. “The US objectives are not strong enough, they have to make their commitments stronger,” said Nicholas Stern, a British former world bank chief economist whose 2006 Stern Review put the economic case for green policies.

2009/05/10: KC: Coal-plant decision fires up criticsAfter only six days in office, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson did last week what state legislators couldn’t do in two years: resolve the rancorous row over Western Kansas coal plants. But the Democrat also succeeded in angering some in his own party and environmental groups that had viewed Parkinson as their champion. After all, they’d repeatedly fought off the coal plant project, then saw Parkinson give in for environmental concessions they view as inconsequential.

Dubya’s OMB doesn’t like the idea of the EPA using the Clean Air Act to regulate GHGs. Great controversy ensues:

2009/05/14: NEN: Dems to settle on diminished new energy standardSummary: In a huge disappointment to the New Energy community, House Democrats are reportedly going to settle for a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) requiring U.S. utilities to obtain 15% of their power from New Energy sources by 2020 and drop their initial proposal that would have required 25% of utilities’ power to come from New Energy by 2025.

2009/05/14: Politico: GOP plans climate bill stall in committeeRepublicans know they can’t stop Henry Waxman’s ambitious climate change bill from clearing the Energy and Commerce Committee, but they’re promising to make the ride as bumpy as possible. They plan to nitpick the Waxman bill into legislative oblivion by introducing more than 100 amendments during the committee debate. Some of those, they hope, will lure Democrats worried about the impact of energy proposals on hometown industries. “This is not going to be one of gentlemanly, pro forma markups,” said Texas Rep. Joe Barton, the top Republican on the committee. “We’re prepared for it to take weeks or months.”

2009/05/13: Guardian(UK): US Senate blocks Obama’s nominee for top environmental postRepublicans accused of using vote as payback after Obama’s administration revoked oil-drilling permits near national parks President Barack Obama suffered a very public rebuff to his plans to green America’s economy today when Republicans in the Senate blocked his choice of overseer for oil and gas exploration. David Hayes, an environmental lawyer, fell three votes short of the 60 needed for confirmation as the deputy interior secretary. Hayes had served in the same post when Bill Clinton was president. It was the first time an Obama nominee has fallen on the Senate floor, in a defeat engineered by Republicans from oil-rich states.

2009/05/11: Yahoo: The Influence Game: Firms exact climate priceUtilities, steelmakers and oil industry lobbyists have tried to ease the pain of President Barack Obama’s push to curb global warming, and they’ve gotten an early return on the millions of dollars they’ve spent influencing Congress. Lawmakers determined to get a deal on climate change are going along with valuable concessions to polluters. It’s part of the political trading necessary when powerful industries are involved. The firms, many of which depend on coal — the biggest source of heat-trapping gases — hold heavy sway on Capitol Hill, where they have spent millions working to change policy and contributing to politicians’ campaigns. They have a long history of halting environmental initiatives that threaten their profits, and their stance on the climate change measure — a key element of Obama’s agenda — can’t be ignored.

2009/05/11: BBC: Centrica in British Energy dealBritish Gas owner Centrica has said it is buying a 20% stake in nuclear firm British Energy for £2.3bn. Centrica had first agreed a £3.1bn deal with British Energy’s French owner EDF last summer, and this would have seen it take a 25% stake. However, talks on the deal had dragged on after electricity prices fell. EDF’s £12.5bn takeover of British Energy, which runs eight UK nuclear power plants, was concluded in January of this year. Centrica and EDF plan to build four new nuclear plants on existing sites as part of the the UK government’s plans for the country to get more of its electricity from nuclear generation.

2009/05/17: ABC(Au): Rudd plans ‘world’s largest’ solar projectThe Federal Government says it wants to create the largest solar energy project in the world. It says the project will be as close as possible to the existing energy grid. Visiting Liddell Power station in the Hunter Valley, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Government would spend almost $1.4 billion creating the project. The funding is part of the Government’s commitment to spend $4.5 billion on reducing carbon pollution.

2009/05/15: ABC(Au): Developers urge revision of sea level predictionsDevelopers have asked the New South Wales Government to revise its forecast for sea level rises caused by climate change. New South Wales has predicted the sea level on its coast will rise 40 centimetres by 2050. But the development industry group, Urban Taskforce, says that is at least 10 centimetres higher than the level predicted by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. A spokesman for the group, Aaron Gadiel, says the state government has chosen to take a doomsday approach to climate change.

2009/05/14: ABC(Au): Govt seeks backing on emissions trading billThe Federal Government is trying to convince the Opposition and the crossbench senators to support its emissions trading legislation. The Government has introduced bills for its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme to parliament and wants them passed by mid-year. But the scheme has been criticised by the other parties for being both too tough and too soft.

2009/05/14: ABC(Au): Govt to introduce carbon trade billThe Federal Government is still to convince the Opposition and minor parties to support its revised emissions trading scheme (ETS) legislation. The Government will introduce the laws into the Lower House this morning and hopes to have the scheme through Parliament by the end of June. But Greens Senator Christine Milne says she is certain the legislation will not pass in its present form. She says the Greens will not offer their support without Australia taking tougher emission reduction targets to a meeting of world leaders later this year.

2009/05/13: ABC(Au): Protesters disrupt Swan’s post-Budget speechClimate change activists have strung a banner across the front of Parliament House to protest against the Federal Government’s carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS). Half a dozen people were involved in the protest, which called on the Government to set tougher emissions reduction targets.

2009/05/12: ABC(Au): Clean energy gets $4.5b Budget boostThe Federal Government has committed $4.5 billion to clean energy in the 2009-10 Budget, which it says will reduce emissions and boost employment. Under the plan, which includes $1 billion in existing funds, the Government aims to have 20 per cent of Australia’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.

2009/05/12: ABC(Au): Company to produce oil from carbon emissionsA new-generation energy company is hoping to use carbon emissions from the Latrobe Valley to produce oil and stockfeed. MBD Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with Loy Yang Power. The company wants to use carbon emissions to heat and feed strains of algae and then produce oil and stockfeed from the algae.

2009/05/12: TheAge: Climate change sparks electricity changeAustralia is to change the way it makes electricity, with huge new solar power plants and cleaner coal facilities to be built. The federal government will spend billions “greening up” electricity and says it wants to lead the world in the field. Emissions trading has been delayed so the government is forging ahead with other ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

While in China:

2009/05/10: NYT: China Outpaces U.S. in Cleaner Coal-Fired PlantsChina’s frenetic construction of coal-fired power plants has raised worries around the world about the effect on climate change. China now uses more coal than the United States, Europe and Japan combined, making it the world’s largest emitter of gases that are warming the planet. But largely missing in the hand-wringing is this: China has emerged in the past two years as the world’s leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants, mastering the technology and driving down the cost. While the United States is still debating whether to build a more efficient kind of coal-fired power plant that uses extremely hot steam, China has begun building such plants at a rate of one a month.

2009/05/11: CBC: Uncertainty over feds’ green plan wards off energy investments: reportThe Conservative government’s cloudy greenhouse-gas policy is jeopardizing investments in Canada’s energy sector, warns a government document. “Lack of clarity and certainly with respect to greenhouse-gas policy increases investment risks,” says a briefing note prepared for Lisa Raitt when she became natural resources minister last autumn. A three-page briefing on energy and investment says “significant investments” are needed over the next decades to expand the country’s energy infrastructure and develop new resources. But the industry is still waiting for regulations that were promised two years ago before players will spend on some of those projects. Draft rules were supposed to be published last fall after lengthy consultations, but that hasn’t been done yet.

2009/05/11: G&M: Global warming critics appointed to science boardsHarper government’s actions are ‘dreadful’ and undercut public pledges to tackle climate change, leading glaciologist says. Top Canadian scientists are accusing the Harper government of politicizing science funding and jeopardizing climate research by naming global warming critics to key boards that fund science. The government’s actions are “dreadful,” said Garry Clarke, a leading international glaciologist at the University of British Columbia, and undercut public pledges to tackle climate change. “Their mouths are doing one thing and their hands are doing something different,” Prof. Clarke said.

The Tories are worried US climate legislation will drag them into the 21st century:

2009/05/14: CanWest: U. S. Climate bill would be ‘disaster’ — Prentice urges D. C. to drop proposed sanctionJim Prentice, the Minister of the Environment, yesterday warned U. S. lawmakers to drop proposed trade sanctions on imports from countries with higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions, saying the measure would be a “prescription for disaster” for the global economy. In the Harper government’s toughest critique yet of draft U. S. climate legislation, Mr. Prentice told a Washington audience a proposal to slap a “carbon-border adjustment” fee on foreign manufacturers violates the core principles of international trade. In addition, any U. S. decision to impose such a trade tariff threatens the chances of reaching an international climate change deal later this year in Copenhagen, Mr. Prentice said.

2009/05/13: CBC: Canada’s environment minister to speak against U.S. green tariff proposalCanada’s environment minister was to tell an American business organization that tariffs shouldn’t be imposed on imports from countries that allow greater greenhouse-gas emissions than the United States. “Trade protectionism in the name of environmental protection would be a prescription for disaster for both the global economy and the global environment,” says an advance copy of Jim Prentice’s speech to the Council of the Americas. “And the threat of such unilateral action is a threat to global progress at this critical time in multilateral negotiations.”

The Tories are pushing ethanol in spite of demonstrated problems:

2009/05/11: G&M: Ottawa to push ethanol, despite concernsAs Prentice prepares bio-fuel regulation, controversy grows in the U.S. over indirect land-use emissions Ottawa is set to push ahead with a plan to dramatically increase the use of grain-based ethanol, despite growing controversy over the greenhouse gas emissions that result from agricultural practices used to grow the feedstock grains. Environment Minister Jim Prentice has won cabinet approval to proceed with regulations requiring refiners to include at least 5 per cent ethanol in their gasoline by September, 2010, sources say. A spokesman for Mr. Prentice’s office said the Minister had “nothing to announce” on the issue of ethanol regulations. The department has invited the industry to a briefing this week in which officials will outline how the government intends to proceed.

The Commissioner of the Environment had bad things to say about Canadian governement GHG stats:

2009/05/12: CBC: Federal predictions of greenhouse gas reductions are exaggerated: watchdogThe federal government has overstated greenhouse gas reductions expected as a result of its climate change plans and is failing to count the actual reductions to see if they match with predictions, according to a report tabled in Parliament. “Without a system to count real emission reductions that result from its measures, the government will not be able to inform Parliament whether the measures are working,” Scott Vaughan, commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, said Tuesday in the text of a prepared statement. Vaughan, who works in the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, made the findings in audit reports tabled in Parliament Tuesday alongside reports from the auditor general

2009/05/12: Yahoo: Canada scolded over greenhouse gas estimatesCanada has overstated how effective its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be, the country’s top environmental watchdog said on Tuesday. The government has also not set up systems for accurately monitoring reductions in greenhouse gases or where the emissions are coming from, according to Commissioner of the Environment Scott Vaughan. Ottawa is required to make annual reports on emission reductions, but Vaughan said the government’s reports for the past two years lack key information needed to see if Canada is making any progress in cutting emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, which are blamed for global warming. “The expected emission reductions claimed in the plans are overstated, and the uncertainties related to these reductions are not disclosed,” the report said.

2009/05/14: CanWest: Canada ready to defend Arctic sovereignty: CannonForeign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday that the Conservative government will strive to “work peacefully” with other polar nations but “will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty.” The statement came a day after the release of a new Russian government report that predicts possible military conflict over Arctic oil.

Now this could be a good thing, but it will require buy-in by a lot of manufacturers:

2009/05/15: CBC: Government gets power to set energy standards for turned-off devicesThe federal government can now set limits on the amount of power that electronic devices such as computers and televisions can draw while they’re turned off. The government was given the power to set those standards in amendments to the Energy Efficiency Act that gained royal assent Thursday, said a news release from Natural Resources Canada.

Quebec has proposed legislation adopting the WCI-ETS:

2009/05/13: CBC: New Quebec law will legislate greenhouse gas cuts, carbon tradeThe Quebec government has tabled legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and set up a carbon trading market across North America. Provincial Environment Minister Line Beauchamp introduced the bill Tuesday in the national assembly, Quebec’s provincial legislature. Bill 42 is designed to allow Quebec to participate in the Western Climate Initiative, a carbon trade agreement between four Canadian provinces and seven U.S. states.

Meanwhile in that Mechanical Mordor known as the tar sands:

2009/05/15: CanWest: Church leaders to judge tarsands moralityCanadian church leaders — including three from the heart of the oilpatch in Calgary– will explore moral, ethical and spiritual issues surrounding tarsands development when they travel to northern Alberta next week on a fact-finding mission. After the visit, delegates say, churches around the country will be better educated to formulate an official stance for their congregations on the environmental impact of tarsands development.

2009/05/12: CanWest: Developing oil sands to become even more costly: CERI [Canadian Energy Research Institute]Even as oil briefly crossed above US$60 a barrel Tuesday, what’s becoming increasingly clear is that Canada’s oil sands won’t be the Holy Grail everyone expected to meet the energy supply needs of the future. As shown in a report Tuesday by the Canadian Energy Research Institute, the cost of complying with climate-change legislation that is being aggressively pushed in the United States will make Canada’s oil sands, already the world’s most expensive to develop, even more costly. It will probably also make them the world’s most regulated.

2009/05/13: CBC: Alberta collecting 48 cents per barrel of bitumen: LiberalsAlberta is only getting 48 cents in royalties on a barrel of oilsands bitumen, down from more than $14 a barrel a year ago, according to documents dug up by the provincial Liberals. Liberal energy critic Kevin Taft presented the figures Tuesday in the legislature, saying the numbers came from the first-quarter report of Canadian Oilsands Trust, the largest shareholder in Syncrude Canada Ltd. The documents show that in the first quarter of 2008, the company paid $14.57 in royalties and had a net income per barrel of $32.95, compared to only 48 cents this year and a net income of $4.60.

2009/05/12: G&M: Bigger penalties key to tackling ‘dirty oil': study — ‘Going green is a challenge that can be met’Governments will have to dramatically increase the penalties for emitting greenhouse gases before Canada’s oil sands producers have a financial incentive to invest in carbon capture and storage, says a new study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute. In a report released yesterday, the Calgary-based institute’s research director David McColl offered “plausible” scenarios under which projects now known for producing “dirty oil” would yield “green bitumen,” with less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil production. “Going green is a challenge that can be met,” Mr. McColl said, citing both carbon capture and nuclear power as alternative technologies. He noted that Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions are adopting low-carbon fuel standards that will force Alberta’s oil companies to come to grips with the cost of abatement.

As for miscellaneous Canadiana:

2009/05/10: G&M: Canadians cool on carbon tax: pollCanadians are willing to flirt with a nationwide carbon tax to fight climate change, but bets are off when it comes to paying the bill, a new poll has found. A Harris-Decima telephone poll conducted exclusively for The Canadian Press found 49 per cent of respondents said they supported bringing in a carbon tax. But when asked specifically if they’d support a carbon tax like British Columbia’s which would incrementally hike the cost of gas and home heating oil, support dropped to 42 per cent.

And for your film & video enjoyment:

Meanwhile among the ‘Sue the Bastards!’ contingent:

2009/05/15: WarmingLaw: Whatever You Do, Don’t Mess With Big River SpinedaceThe Center for Biological Diversity announced Wednesday that it has filed notice with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — both housed within the Department of Interior – stating that it intends to file a lawsuit challenging a government plan that includes selling public lands in eastern Nevada for construction of three coal-fired power plants.

2009/05/16: SciDaily: New Fuel Cell Catalyst Uses Two Metals: Up To Five Times More EffectiveMaterial scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than commercial catalysts. The novel technique eventually will enable a cost effective fuel cell technology, which has been waiting in the wings for decades, and should give a boost for cleaner use of fuels worldwide.

2009/05/15: NEN: New energy a best bet long termSummary: The New Energy industries expect slow short term growth but Kiplinger, known for its astute market forecasts, predicts that when credit frees up and the ground rules for the use of the stimulus monies are clarified New Energy will boom.

2009/05/15: NEN: Texas study says emissions cuts could come at moderate costSummary: The price of electricity may only be affected modestly by climate change legislation requiring significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (GhGs) if the cuts are accompanied by improvements in Energy Efficiency. That is the conclusion of a study performed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) at the request of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).

2009/05/13: CNN: Let’s get real about alternative energyDavid MacKay: Replacing fossil fuels will take a massive level of construction – He says most people don’t understand the size and scope of the effort needed – Turning off cell phone charger is a minuscule contribution to saving energy, he says – He says hydrogen-powered cars use too much energy to solve the problemDavid MacKay is a professor of physics at the University of Cambridge. His book, “Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air,” is published by UIT Cambridge and is also available in electronic form forfree…

Meanwhile among the solar aficionados:

2009/05/17: ABC(Au): Rudd plans ‘world’s largest’ solar projectThe Federal Government says it wants to create the largest solar energy project in the world. It says the project will be as close as possible to the existing energy grid. Visiting Liddell Power station in the Hunter Valley, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the Government would spend almost $1.4 billion creating the project. The funding is part of the Government’s commitment to spend $4.5 billion on reducing carbon pollution.

P.S. Recent postings can be found in the week archive and the ancient postings can be accessed here, which should open to this.

“Are We That Stupid? Because we have done nothing yet, now we must prepare for a world 4° C warmer. This used to be the ‘worst case‘ scenario and is now the best we can hope for, accompanied by abrupt and irreversible climate shifts. And new studies show that it is the total amount of CO2 released, not the emission rate nor the atmospheric concentration that is the deciding factor. The longer we wait to Do Something, the quicker we will have to stop burning fossil fuel. Not cut back, stop.No oil, no coal. And, yes, we are exactly that stupid.” -CK Michaelson